Albert r



(No Model.)

A. R. MOORE. MECHANISM FOR OPERATING RAILWAY SWITCHES. No. 542,090.

Patented July 2, 1895.

W E M I w 24 Unirrnn STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

ALBERT R. MOORE, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-TENTH TO CHARLES N. FISHER, OF SAME PLACE.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,090, dated July 2, 1895.

Application filed November 10} 1894. Serial No. 528,442. (No model.)

To aZZ whom/ it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT R. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county ofHarris and State of Texas have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Operating Railway-Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to devices for automatically operating the switches of steam, electric, and street railways by the movement of a locomotive or car, thereby obviating the necessity of a brakeman, driver, motorman, or other person alighting from the car or train for such purpose.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an ordinary street-car constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the railway. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the triangular casting. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the sleeves, showing springs in engagement with the rods.

Before proceeding to describe my improvements in detaill would state that my invention is designed to be used in connection with what are known as underground switches-that is to say, in which the mechanism connected with the switch rails is located underground, which mechanism is actuated by depressing a lever or levers connected therewith. This, however, forms the subject of another appli cation, and therefore need. not be described particularly herein. 1

Referring to the said drawings, the referonce-numeral 1 designates the main rails ofa street or other railway, and 2 the switch-rails, which areconnected by mechanism (not shown) with pivoted levers 3, which when depressed actuate said meehanis'm and throw the switch-rails.

The nu merald designates a street-car of an ordinary or suitable description, and 5the front platform thereof. Pivoted to a bracket 6, secured to said platform, isa vertical lever 7, provided at its upper end with a hand-lever 8, with which is connected a downwardly-extending rod 9, adapted to engage with a racksegment 10, also secured to said platform,for the purpose of holding the lever 6 in any position to which it may be turned,

Secured to the journal of lever 6 is an inclinedflbar 12, the opposite end of which is pivoted to a rearwardly-extending link-bar 13, which in turnis connected to one end or corner ofa triangularly-shaped casting 14, which is pivoted at the upper corner to a bracket 15, secured to the floor of the car. To the other corner of this casting is pivoted a downwardly-extending bar 16, the lower end of which is secured to a cylindrical sleeve 17. Located in this sleeve is the upper end of a vertically movable rod or bar 18, against which abuts the end of a compression-spring 19, the upper coils of which encircle a similar spring 20, which in turn encircles the lower end of the bar 16. These springs are of different degrees of compressibility-that is to say, if it requires three hundred pounds pressure to compress spring 19 one inch then spring 20 should require a pressure of, say, six hundred pounds to compress it the same distance. The upper ends of these springs abut against theupper end of the sleeve 17, and spring 19 extends down to and bears against the upper end of rod 18, while spring 20 is about one inch above the same when said springs arein normal condition. Journaled in the lower end of said rod 18, which is bifurcated for such purpose is a wheel 21, adapted to ride over and depress the lever or levers 3, by which the switch-rails are actuated. Also secured to said rod 18 is an upwardly and forwardly-extend the bearing of the casting and no strain be upon the arms or bars connecting the casting with the lever at the front of the car. The object of the springs 19 and 20 is to allow the wheel 21 to yield somewhat, so as to prevent injury to the parts, and the purpose of making them of differential degrees of compression is to allow a much greater pressure to be exerted when the spring 19 has been compressed by bringing the stronger'spring 20 into use.

My invention can be applied to either steam, electric, or horse cars, and is more particularly adapted to the latter, and by its use much time and labor may be avoided,as it is not necessary to stop the car in order to throw a switch.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with a car orother similar object, of the lever, the inclined arm secured thereto, the rearwardly extending bar, the triangular casting or lever pivoted to a bearing secured to the car, and to the rear end or corner of which said bar is pivoted, the rod pivotally connected with the other end or corner of said casting or lever and wheel journaled to said red, the construction being such that when said casting or lever is in presence of two witnesses.

depressed by the link bar and connections, the pivots of the casting,the link bar and the wheel will be in alignment with each other, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a car or other simi lar object, of the lever, the inclined arm, the rearwardly extending bar, the triangular casting pivoted at one corner to the car, and to the rear end of which said bar is pivoted, the rod or bar pivoted to the other corner of said casting, the sleeve connected therewith, a coiled spring located in said sleeve, the rod inserted in the sleeve and the wheel jour- 

